Support truly
independent journalism
Hillary Clinton has rallied behind Kamala Harris’ presidential bid in a passionate op-ed writing that the vice president’s administration could become an “unstoppable wave” that wipes out Donald Trump’s chances of a second term in office.
Clinton, 76, who lost to Trump in the 2016 election, reiterated her and her husband former president Bill Clinton’s endorsement for Harris in the opinion piece for The New York Times where she spoke about the “ugly prejudice” Harris will face as a woman running for president, praised Joe Biden for his “patriotic” decision to step aside and warned about the risks of a Trump second term.
Following Biden’s axing of his reelection campaign on Sunday, the former first lady and secretary of state said she believes Harris is the person who can do something she failed to do eight years ago: defeat Trump.
“She represents a fresh start for American politics. She can offer a hopeful, unifying vision,” Clinton wrote of Harris.
“She is talented, experienced and ready to be president. And I know she can defeat Donald Trump.”
Clinton became the first woman in history to win a presidential nomination in a major political party.
But she noted that she “couldn’t break that highest, hardest glass ceiling” and warned Harris of the difficulties of a woman – particularly a woman of color – taking office.
“While it still pains me that I couldn’t break that highest, hardest glass ceiling, I’m proud that my two presidential campaigns made it seem normal to have a woman at the top of the ticket,” she wrote.
“Ms Harris will face unique additional challenges as the first Black and South Asian woman to be at the top of a major party’s ticket.”
Clinton pointed to the “ugly prejudice” she said Harris is already started to face since announcing her bid days ago.
“Ms Harris’s record and character will be distorted and disparaged by a flood of disinformation and the kind of ugly prejudice we’re already hearing from MAGA mouthpieces,” she wrote.
“She and the campaign will have to cut through the noise, and all of us as voters must be thoughtful about what we read, believe and share.”
Clinton described a burgeoning crowd of conservative Trump supporters fomenting a war against some of the Democrat’s more progressive policies and the former president pushing a “dangerous agenda”.
She warned that a second Trump term would be worse than his first in 2016, arguing his “plans are more extreme” and that with age, “he is more unhinged”.
But Clinton urged the public to not be afraid and that Harris has the capabilities to cut through the MAGA noise.
She cited America’s first Black president, Barack Obama, taking office in 2008 and the fight against abortion bans across the country after the overturning of Roe V Wade, saying it has galvanised the female vote “like never before”.
“We shouldn’t be afraid. It is a trap to believe that progress is impossible. After all, I won the national popular vote by nearly three million in 2016, and it’s not so long ago that Americans overwhelmingly elected our first Black president,” she wrote.
“As we saw in the 2022 midterms, abortion bans and attacks on democracy are galvanizing women voters like never before. With Ms. Harris at the top of the ticket leading the way, this movement may become an unstoppable wave.”
Harris said that Harris is, like many women in politics, “chronically underestimated” but “she is well prepared for this moment.”
“With Ms Harris at the top of the ticket leading the way, this movement may become an unstoppable wave,” she wrote.
Clinton said she is looking “forward to hearing her prosecute a compelling case against Mr Trump” in the 2024 race.
While throwing her support behind Harris’ “invigorated campaign”, Clinton said that it was a “bittersweet moment” to see Biden step aside, as she praised the president’s decision as an “act of pure patriotism”.
“Serving as president was [Biden’s] lifelong dream. And when he finally got there, he was exceptionally good at it. To give that up, to accept that finishing the job meant passing the baton, took real moral clarity,” Clinton said.
“I know this wasn’t easy. But it was the right thing to do,” she added.
Clinton concluded: “We have gained much as well: a new champion, an invigorated campaign and a renewed sense of purpose.
“The time for hand-wringing is over. Now it’s time to organize, mobilize and win.”
On Sunday, the former first lady and her husband endorsed Harris, adding to the growing chorus of prominent Democrats supporting the vice president’s run for office.
Harris quickly launched her campaign for the White House on Sunday, and within the first 24 hours secured a record $81m in donations.
By Tuesday, the vice president had garnered enough support from delegates to secure the Democratic nomination for president, according to a survey by the Associated Press.
New polls are echoing Clinton’s prediction that Harris could beat Trump, with new research from Reuters published on Tuesday showing her leading 44 per cent to 42 per cent.
In her first campaign rally in Milwaukee, Harris struck a defiant tone about taking on Trump, recollecting her time as a state prosecutor where she “took on perpetrators of all kinds,” including fraudsters and predators.
“So hear me when I say, I know Donald Trump’s type,” Harris said.
